Churches and Elections

Politicians shouldn’t use houses of worship as political tools. For more than six decades, a provision of the tax code known as the Johnson Amendment has protected the integrity of tax-exempt organizations, including houses of worship, by ensuring they do not endorse or oppose political candidates.

The Johnson Amendment protects the freedom of speech of both houses of worship and other community nonprofits. At the same time, it shields them from the pressure to endorse or oppose specific candidates in elections. No one wants our charities and houses of worship to be torn apart by partisan campaign politics.

Americans United has been working for two decades to protect the Johnson Amendment and to keep partisan politics out of houses of worship.

Project Fair Play

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One thing we’re sure to hear tomorrow during the National Prayer Breakfast are a bunch of “God and country” platitudes, with the overwhelming impression being that you aren’t a good, upstanding American if you don’t believe certain things about God. It’s offensive because our Constitution specifically guarantees us the right to believe, or not, as we see fit.

Church-state separation advocates are celebrating that President Donald Trump has not been able to keep his promise “to get rid of and totally destroy the Johnson Amendment.” This month marks the two-year anniversary of Trump making that vow, which occurred during a speech at the National Prayer Breakfast just two weeks into his term as president.